THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CRIMES IN THE CITY. IT COSTS HOUSTONIANS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN LOST PROPERTY AND REPAIRS. TALKING ABOUT CAR BREAK-INS. THERE ARE CERTAIN HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE HOT SPOTS FOR BURGLARY. TONIGHT "LOCAL 2" INVESTIGATOR JOEL EISENBAUM IS BREAKING DOWN THE TOP FIVE AREAS WHERE THESE CRIMES MOST OFTEN HAPPEN. Reporter: FROM ONE CORNER OF HOUSTON TO THE OTHER, WE CRUNCH THE NUMBERS. 99 TIMES A DAY, 36,000 TIMES A YEAR, SOMEONE FALLS VICTIM. IT WOULD BE LIKE, DANG. Reporter: AT THIS RATE, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN STUNG YET, YOU WILL. CREDIT CARDS, BANK DEBIT CARD. CAR BREAK-INS, ALSO KNOWN AS BMV'S, ARE AT MINIMUM A DRAIN ON YOUR WALLET, POLICE RESOURCES RESOURCES AND PEACE OF MIND. CROOKS HIT SOME NEIGHBORHOODS A LOT MORE OFTEN THAN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS. IN FACT, I'M STANDING IN THE NUMBER FIVE MOST POPULAR PLACE IN HOUSTON WHEN IT COMES TO CAR BREAK-INS. IT'S MIDTOWN. 477 TIMES IN 2013, MOSTLY IN PARKING LOTS, BURGLARS HIT CARS AND TRUCKS IN ONE OF CENTRAL HOUSTON'S MOST POPULAR NIGHT LIFE SPOTS. AND NOT TOO FAR FROM MIDTOWN, IS THE NUMBER FOUR MOST POPULAR SPOT FOR CAR BURGLARIES. LOOKED IN MY SIDE MIRROR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, REALIZED IT WAS GONE. Reporter: RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSTON HEIGHTS HOME, GUY FELL VICTIM. SOMEONE STRIPPED THE SIDE MIRRORS RIGHT OFF HIS CHEVY TAHOE. A SLIGHTLY BIZARRE BUT APPARENTLY PROFITABLE HEIST. IT WAS ABOUT $700. Reporter: STREET PARKING ACCOUNTS FOR A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE HEIGHTS BMV'S. 545 TIMES IN 2013. BURGLARS HIT CARS AND TRUCKS. WE TREK WEST FOR THE NUMBER THREE NEIGHBORHOOD, OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WALNUT BEND. I THINK IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY IN THE AREA. Reporter: CAR BURGLARIES IN 548 OF THEM IN 2013 DON'T JUST HAPPEN INSIDE THE SUBDIVISION, BUT ON AND NEAR WESTHEIMER IN RESTAURANT AND STRIP MALL PARKING LOTS. THEY CAN VICTIMIZE 25, 30 PEOPLE BEFORE THEY'RE CAUGHT. Reporter: SHARPSTOWN IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON HAS HAD THE UNFORTUNATE HONOR OF APPEARING HIGHLY ON SEVERAL OF OUR CRIME HOT SPOT LISTS AND IN THIS CASE, IT'S NUMBER TWO. DRIVEWAYS AND APARTMENT COMPLEX PARKING LOTS WERE THE MOST POPULAR PLACES IN SHARPSTOWN FOR CAR AND TRUCK BREAK-INS. BUT THIS, THIS IS THE SPOT MORE THAN ANY OTHER, AT LEAST STATISTICALLY, THIEVES ARE MOST LIKELY TO BREAK INTO YOUR CAR. RIGHT HERE IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON. PAY LOT PARKING CAN LEAVE YOU VULNERABLE DOWNTOWN AND STREET PARKING AND 584 TIMES IN 2013 POLICE RECORDED VEHICLE BREAK-INS HERE. YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND IS THESE TOP FIVE SPOTS ACCOUNT FOR LESS THAN 10% OF ALL HOUSTON AREA CAR BURGLARIES. MEANING YOU CAN GET HIT ANYWHERE, ANY TIME. SO LOCK UP AND TAKE YOUR STUFF WITH YOU.

HOUSTON -

Thieves targeted cars and trucks for burglaries in Houston, on average, 99 times per day in 2013, and downtown Houston leads the list of areas most prone to the crime, according to data calculated by Local 2 Investigates.

The Houston Police Department recorded more than 36,000 total incidents of motor vehicle burglaries last year, the most recent full year of data available.

Burglary of a motor vehicle is not the same as auto theft. A BMV, as it is known to police officers, is a break-in.

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Laptop computers, cellphones and even auto parts, such as mirrors and wheels, are often targeted in these crimes.

To see which neighborhoods are especially prone to burglaries of motor vehicle, with the most recent data, Local 2 sorted uniform crime reporting data by neighborhood.

Police departments are required by law to generate and maintain uniform crime reporting data, and it is an essential tool in spotting crime trends and identifying high-crime areas.

Local 2's sorting revealed 36,305 burglary of motor vehicle records in approximately 450 Houston neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are determined by the city of Houston’s planning department and coded by number along with other data points.

HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOOD - BMVs in 2013

Downtown: 584

Sharpstown: 568

Walnut Bend: 548

Houston Heights: 545

Midtown: 477

Bordersville: 415

Willowbrook: 394

Almeda-Genoa: 378

Greenspoint: 293

Melrose: 291

Crimes large and small can also be categorized by premises. Uniform crime reporting standardizes locations to fit into one of 126 categories. For example, premise code 02B means the crime occurred at a bank; 20M a mobile home; and 20D a driveway. Local 2 Investigates sorted the top 10 geographical locations for motor vehicle burglaries by premise.

PREMISE - BMVs in 2013

Apartment Parking Lot: 473

"Other" Parking Lot: 389

Driveway: 326

Road/Street/Sidewalk: 303

Restaurant Parking Lot: 174

Police have maintained for years that the two easiest ways to avoid becoming a statistic is to lock your vehicle and remove valuables.

One more interesting sidebar: Local 2 Investigates found that motor vehicle burglaries are so pervasive across the city of Houston, 88 percent of the crimes happened outside of the top 10 neighborhoods.

Copyright 2014 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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